Don’t forget: The Brodie Awards are on the home stretch! If you haven’t finished checking out all of the fantastic nominees — or if you want to do some last-minute campaigning — it’s now or never!!
Now, on to this week’s topic! No, we’re not actually offering a scholarship (though fMh is) — there was simply a huge number of fascinating scholarly pieces this past week! Topics include LDS History: Mormon prophecies, the three witnesses, women of Deseret, Oliver Cowdery’s Rod (Perhaps like Joseph Smith’s cane in this piece that won a Brodie a few years ago), debunking rumors, and tracking down sources; LDS church watch: business holdings, legal battles, and fudging on Helen Mar’s age; Analysis of scripture: Book of Mormon as literature, meta-discussion, and baptism for the dead; plus Analysis of the lessons in the LDS manuals: priesthood offices and the only true church.
In current events, it looks like the Boy Scouts may start allowing local chapters not to discriminate against homosexuals! See commentary for and against. Meeting with Affirmation, J G-W came to about the same conclusion I’ve discussed a few times on criticism.Animals can be gay, but not the righteous ones. Maybe you’d like to hear about conversion programs. And it turns out there may be a truly positive new websites for LDS LGBT youth!
In other LDS gender wars, folks are not pleased with Heavenly Mother’s invisibility, and have set off to find her!
Speaking of mothers, Dad’s Primal Scream wrote what is perhaps this week’s most controversial opinion:
I think being a stay-at-home parent is a poor choice for the children regardless of the circumstances. Child rearing isn’t a task suited for isolation. It’s part of life and best done while living life, for that’s when the real lessons come.
He makes some interesting points — see if you agree!
In other discussion topics, Daniel discusses why the “any good man and any good woman” meme helps the CoJCoL-dS. Andrew Hackman analyzes labeling children by religion. Modesty funnies.
Guess whose fault it is if you’re bored at church! Aren’t interfaith interactions fun?
As soon as the prayer had concluded…my grandson’s “other grandfatherâ€, a good, well meaning, former Stake President approached me, put his arm around my shoulder and said. “Cr@ig, I would hope that by the time our grandson becomes an Elder in 4 years, I will be able to place my hand on your shoulder in the circle as we both confer upon him the Melchizedek Priesthoodâ€.
As if sitting quietly with the woman as a non-participant while my grandson is sucked further into Mormonism’s lies isn’t enough… now I have to be completely disrespected and bite my tongue to avoid publically embarrassing my wife as this well-meaning yet delusional man offends me by completely disregarding my non-belief.
Well, you can always play pool to take your mind off Mormonism.
Then there were a number of interesting life journeys! John Delin will tell you about his in a three-part podcast! Leah has moved on to extreme agnosticism, and Andrew S has described some of the key epiphanies in his Mormon journey. And — not to be missed — Molly posted an interview with a friend who is just coming out as transsexual!
And now for a little update on my own life journey: I spent yesterday and this morning buying and assembling shelves in the basement so that I can finally unpack and organize my boxes — or at least move them down to the basement so that I can organize my apartment. Dog, it was like a month-and-a-half ago that I moved, and it is still not done! Grr! But it will be soon. Have a great week!!